Shot Through The Heart
by QueenAU
Summary: Two spies meet, go on a mission, and find themselves uncovering more than what they expected. Auslly. Spy AU. Missions, secrets, explosions, capture, injuries, danger...what more can you ask for?
1. Chapter 1

She's in the worst place when it happens.

Ally is washing her hands in the school's bathroom sink when the PA system crackles to life.

"Code red." The voice of the principal is shaky with such fear that there is no doubt that this is not a drill. "I repeat, code red."

Anyone in her situation would be frozen with fear. She was in the one place everyone hoped they wouldn't be in during a lockdown. Out of the safety of the classroom and in the open, exposed.

Only, she was trained for this.

She gets out of the bathroom and into the hallway quietly, senses alert. There's no intel on the enemy right now, so she has to figure things out on her own. She scans each area methodically before advancing, her back always to the wall.

It's the shouting that gives them away. There's demanding voices coming from one of the classrooms-her math class. She peers through the open door to assess the situation.

To her surprise, the intruders are...organized. They are heavily armed and stand with an air only highly experienced militants would have. This was worse than she thought.

"I know she is here." The apparent leader of the pack snarls, clearly frustrated. He waves his gun around with less care than Ally thinks he should have. "Somebody tell me where she is _now_."

His tone is nothing but serious. Quickly, Ally thinks of a strategy to get through all of them without any of her own classmates and teacher getting hurt.

"Where." The leader is done with words and aims the barrel to her math teacher.

Three electrocuting disks thrown to the exposed faces of the goons.

Five tranq darts she kept for a rainy day, into the necks of the rest.

She finally makes her entrance, ignoring the gasps from her classmates as she deals blows and kicks to the group. Most of them are writhing or unconscious on the ground already, so it takes her only seconds to get to her main concern.

The leader has forgotten her math teacher, thankfully, and has set his aim at her instead.

She doesn't waste time on a snappy one liner. Ally topples over the man with a swing of her leg, disarms him, and holds his own weapon back at him in one fluid motion.

"Heard you were looking for someone." Ally says at last.

She feels more alive than ever, with adrenaline pumping through her. Right now, she isn't Ally Dawson. She's someone else.

He spits out some choice words for her.

"Is anyone hurt?" She glances back to the stunned class. They shake their heads, gazes blank. She can only imagine what they must see.

A high school student pulling stunts seen only in spy thrillers or action movies? How does that happen? And bookish Ally Dawson, of all people.

Her phone rings.

"One second," she smiles sweetly at the glaring leader below her, "hello?"

"Got your message," the other end says, "backup should be there in a minute. Status, agent?"

"I have the leader subdued. Didn't have my full gear with me, but I had some gadgets hidden on me. I'm not sure what their motives were, but they were looking for someone."

"Good." A pause. "I guess that other agent on the ground is useless now."

"Who?" Her brows knit together in confusion.

Someone is at the doorway, breathing fast from exertion.

Ally turns to see the one person she never expected. Blond hair, hazel eyes-

"I see you've got it handled already." Austin Moon observes, seemingly both impressed and disappointed.

She manages to pick up her dropped jaw. "If I knew you were coming, I would have left some for you."

"Agent Moon." He flashes his card at her so that only she can see the official logo of their secret organization. The other spy grins at her.

"Agent Dawson." She smiles back, still high on adrenaline.

* * *

She raises her concerns after her debrief to her supervising agent.

"My cover's been blown, ma'am."

Her handler, Agent 9, pins her with an unreadable look, and then sighs. "You want to stay here, in a public high school."

"Yes." Ally says firmly.

"We both know that you don't need to be here. You could be studying part time in university, if you wanted to. Much more flexible to our organization's needs."

"I understand, but I insist." She presses. Despite the other more dangerous, exciting part of her life, Ally is adamant on maintaining some sort of normalcy. While she loves her work, she wants the full experience other people her age will have, even if it's dull in comparison. "Please, Talia?"

Agent 9 disappears as Talia rolls her eyes. Superior agent or not, Agent 9 was still human. "The whole math class has signed non-disclosure agreements. They can't tell the whole school that you're an agent, but they will still know. Are you ready to face that?"

Ally nods.

"Good. Well, actually, you don't need to face it just yet. You've got a mission, so you'll be away while things cool down over here." Talia slides over a crisp white folder with the organization's symbol emblazoned on it. "I'll leave you to it, Agent Dawson."

Ally's started flipping through the file when Talia stops in the doorway of the empty classroom they've taken over. "Oh, your mission partner's here."

"Already?" They must have come with the backup. She shifts so she faces the door, but doesn't take her eyes off of the mission itinerary.

"Agent Moon, meet Agent Dawson."

Oh.

* * *

 **Might continue, might not. Testing the waters here. Thoughts?**

 **12.29.15.**


	2. Chapter 2

"So…" Austin began.

Ally dragged her eyes away from the road. They have been driving for several hours now, and most of the silences had been filled with mission talk. Their cover for this assignment was a couple, so they spent some time working out the details. That, and getting to know each other. Afterall, up until eight hours ago, neither of them knew the other was an agent.

It wasn't as if they talked at school either.

As they solidified their false identities, the city had gradually faded away and transitioned into the country. A couple more miles and they'll reach their destination.

Austin found the words he wanted to say. "What made you become an agent?"

Images flashed through her mind.

 _The glint of metal. Blood. Screaming. Pain. Oh god, it hurts so much what's happeningsomebodyhelp-_

Ally smiled tightly. _Not exactly small talk material._ "That's classified."

Austin eyed her tense posture and nodded. Even if he wasn't a spy, he could tell it was better not to push.

"You?" She diverted.

An easy grin appeared on his face. "Oh, you know. Saw a job listing in the newspaper. Thought I might as well get a part-time job."

"Was it what you expected?" She asked wryly.

"Nope. Not even close."

* * *

They pulled into the parking lot of a plain, but well kept motel.

"Hi." Ally approached the reception with a sunny smile, while Austin followed close behind her.

The woman behind the counter smiled back. _Karen_ , her name tag read. "Hi, how can I help you?"

"We have a reservation, actually. It's booked for Alissa and Augustin?"

Karen typed away at her computer for a couple seconds before nodding. "Yes, you have a room booked." She reached behind her to grab a ring of keys. "Here you go. Your room is A07, which is just down the hallway, turn left, then right. If there's anything you need, just let us know."

"Thank you." Ally accepted the keys.

Karen glanced back at Austin, who was doing a subtle analysis of the motel. "You two enjoying a vacation?" She peered at them over her spectacles meaningfully. "A little honeymoon?"

Ally felt her face heat up. _What's wrong with me? You've done borderline honeypot missions, Ally._

Austin's attention snapped back to the front desk. That easy smile materialized again as he casually put an arm around Ally. Ally leaned into him, playing her role despite her burning face.

Ally forced out a convincing giggle, tucking her hair behind her ear seemingly bashfully. "Oh, it's a bit too early for that."

"Als and I are just on a long road trip before college next year." Austin lied smoothly. "We thought a gap year would be good for us."

Karen nodded but smiled conspiratorially. "Oh, you'll be married and settled down before you know it. I got a good intuition for these type of things."

The couple laughed, and waved goodbye.

Once they were out of sight, Ally smirked. "Als?"

"Didn't you hear the lady? We're practically engaged. You gotta have a pet name."

"Not the most creative."

"Hurtful."

They stopped in front of their room. It was only then that they realized that they were still side by side, Austin's arm slung over her shoulder. Ally could almost feel the blush coming on again as she was suddenly aware of Austin's body against her own.

They hastily broke apart. Austin coughed, running a hand through his hair. "You got the keys?"

"Yeah." Ally attentively focused on unlocking the door.

Once the door swung open, the agents habitually did a thorough perimeter check of the place. Austin checked every nook and cranny of the kitchen, while Ally checked the living room. Everything seemed fine until they reached the bedroom.

There was only one bed.

"They must have made a mistake, I'll tell Talia…"

Austin shook his head with a sigh. "No, no. We're a couple. It'll be weird to change our room. I'll take the couch."

Ally frowned. "No, you shouldn't have to. I'll take the couch. I've slept in worse places."

 _Darkness, nothing, why can't I see anything? Where am I-_

"So have I." He challenged.

Ally sighed. "You know what? Neither of us are." She gestured at the bed. "It's definitely big enough for both of us."

"Are you sure you're uncomfortable with that? I'm not a murderer or anything, but I only just met you."

"I'm good."

Austin still looked uncertain.

Ally rolled her eyes. "If anything, you should be scared of me. Get too close to my side, and you might find a fist in your face." She tilted her chin up. "And I've been told that I have a pretty mean swing."

Austin laughed. "Okay, you win. But just so _you_ know-" he paused melodramatically, "I've been told that I hog the blankets."

Once the sleeping arrangement was settled, they unpacked. They didn't just unpack ordinary clothes and toiletries, however. Together, the two agents set up the state of the art, encrypted laptop and surveillance equipment for tomorrow. As well, they sorted through their own gadgets and weaponry.

When they finished, they took turns using the bathroom and reporting to their SO. If you asked Ally, it felt like they were both procrastinating the inevitable. There was nothing between them, _obviously not_ , she's done this before...It's just that they're classmates, and their personal lives have unexpectedly been tangled up with work. That's all.

To avoid further awkwardness, Ally lay down on her chosen side of the bed as Austin had his time in the bathroom. She made use of her time by reviewing the intel reports on her phone, and giving an update call to Talia. The spy faced away from the center of the bed, and read until she heard Austin enter the room.

Austin cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh, I'll turn off the light now?"

"Yeah." She murmured.

The light clicked off, then she heard and felt Austin slip beneath the covers. She snuck a glance over her shoulder to see that he too had faced away, and left as much space as possible between them. Her eyelids fluttered shut. For several long minutes, she was all too aware of her heart racing. Why was she like this? She's shared a bed platonically before. What makes Austin so different? Just because he was part of her personal life? She willed her mind to slow down, and eventually, welcomed the lull of sleep.

* * *

When she awoke she felt infinitely better, yet unwilling to move and begin her day. She was surrounded by the warmth of her covers. Not suffocatingly hot, but just the right temperature. She snuggled her face deeper into her pillow. It was soft, but also firm enough to-

She froze. Her pillow was _moving_.

Her hand reached back about to grab her knife. But as her eyes snapped open and she looked up, she stared in shock. _Austin's face_ was just inches from hers. It was _his_ arm that was draped over her waist. She was pressed up against him, and the movement was the even rise and fall of his breaths.

Before she could quickly extract herself and have him oblivious, his eyes blearily opened.

"Wha-"

Her fist got acquainted with his face.

* * *

"I'm so sorry." Ally grimaced as she handed him the cold packet. "Reflexes, you know, and…"

Austin gingerly pressed it against his cheek. He cast her guilty expression a grin. "I keep on telling you, don't worry about it. I don't think it'll even bruise at this point." He inspected his face through the reflection of the fridge.

 _What kind of agent am I, punching my partner in the face?_

Ally chewed her bottom lip. While she fretted she missed the way Austin's gaze flickered down to her mouth. He looked away hurriedly when he realized what he did.

"You _do_ have one hell of a swing." Austin offered, determinedly ignoring where his thoughts had wandered. _Inappropriate. Be professional, Austin._

She huffed. "Thanks." She glanced at the brightly shining sun through the window. "We should get going."

Their target was a handmade soap factory one mile away from their motel. HQ had booked a tour for "Alissa Daniels and Augustin Mclean" already. There, they would do some discreet recon and plant some surveillance under the guise of an innocent couple. So, after a quick breakfast at a diner nearby, they drove to the factory.

The tour itself was _immensely_ boring.

It was good for intel as they took them through the different processing rooms, but you would not find Ally here on her own time. She feigned interest as they watched the workers handcraft soaps, lotions, and other products. But to make matters even worse, all the different scents of the products merged together to give her one agonizing headache.

On the surface, the factory seemed ordinary. A bit of a tourist trap. However, the spies looked at each other knowingly as their guide avoided particular rooms-mostly on the central part of the building.

"I'm so sorry," Ally interrupted their tour guide, "but I have to use the restroom…"

"It's just down that hall, and a right turn." Their tour guide said. "Do you want help getting there?"

"I should be okay. Thanks!" She said, briskly walking away before he could interject.

She walked through several corridors unopposed. The workers didn't give her a second glance once they saw her visitor's pass.

Or they didn't care because this isn't a simple soap factory.

HQ had received intel that there were dangerous weapon plans, maybe even production, in this harmless looking factory. Whoever was in charge had paid the local as well as state authorities well enough for it to be left alone. Security in this place was relatively tight too. The intel report had said that at night, there were guards posted outside _and_ inside. No luxury soap can be worth that much security.

Despite HQ's best efforts, they couldn't find plans of the building either. This made everything all the more suspicious. If her organization's best hackers couldn't find it, then there's obviously something bigger at play here.

So now it was up to them to get more intel from the inside, and take whatever actions necessary from there. The kind of weapons, plans or the actual thing, that they were rumored to have are dangerous.

Ally stopped at a door that should lead into the central building. Looking around to double check that no one was around, she took out her lock picking tools. Despite all the security, the factory was still one of the older buildings in this town. Which worked just fine for her. She could do old school locks just as easily as modern fingerprint-eye scanning-movement recognizing tech.

The agent inserted the correct one for the door, and with some calculated jiggling, the door unlocked with a satisfying click.

She's taken just one step through the door when she hears approaching footsteps. She scans the dimly lit corridor and swiftly ducks into a side room meant for cleaning supplies. She closes the door gently just seconds before the footsteps reach her.

* * *

 **12/16/16**

 **Let me know what you think, what you want next, etc etc ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

She has taken just one step through the door when she hears approaching footsteps. She scans the dimly lit corridor and swiftly ducks into a side room meant for cleaning supplies. The door closes gently just seconds before the footsteps reach her.

"Adequate facility, but what's the point if you don't have any damn paper towels around?"

"I apologize, sir..."

Her hand's ready, already reaching into her hidden holster.

"They should be in here."

She can see feet stop in front of the door through the gap underneath. Ally takes a deep breath in and releases it, staring at that little space intently. Her ears pick up the soft, almost inaudible sound of the doorknob twisting. She withdraws her batons.

 _This will have to be quick and quiet.  
_  
A generic ringtone sounds.

"Forget about the paper towels." Who seems to be the higher ranking person says. The phone's ringing gets cuts off. "Hello."

One of them, probably the lower tier employee, walks off. The man on the phone stays where he is, but doesn't make any attempt to open the door. "Yes, the weapons are ready. They can be shipped out Tuesday night as scheduled."

 _Tuesday? That's the day after tomorrow._ Ally furrowed her brows.

"Yes. Bye now." The man ended his call curtly.

Ally tensed. The footsteps began again, but away from her hiding place. She sighed in relief. She could have easily handled it, but it was better to not have this happen for a recon mission. It would have been an annoying loose end.

She exits the supply room, thoughts racing in her mind. It was too busy right now to go deeper into the building without being challenged. There was no way she could even plant bugs in various rooms. She has to go back.

A faint smile graced her lips. _But now I have information that we would have never gotten with the bugs.  
_

* * *

"Shipment Tuesday...That's very soon." Talia's voice echoed through their motel room on speakerphone.

"Two days from now.." Austin stared at the ground in contemplation. He stood across from Ally, leaning back against the small kitchen counter.

Ally could almost imagine Talia rubbing at her temples. "We can't let the weapons be shipped out-who knows where they will end up. "

Ally scrolled through the known intel along with the intel they collected today on a tablet. "I can do it. Tomorrow night."

"Agent Dawson." Her SO reprimanded.

"Agent 9. You remember Berlin, right?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"I handled it."

Austin sent Ally a confused look. "Sorry, I think I'm missing something here."

Ally shook her head. "Look, I can take everything and shut the place down tomorrow night. You know this, Ma'am."

Talia sighed. "Doesn't mean I like it. The director won't like it either."

"We have a general layout of the building, and it would be better if we had more intel through the bugs. But if we let the weapons go, our mission fails. It's going to be a huge shipment." Austin said. Ally connected gazes with him in mild surprise. Was he taking her side? Austin shrugged at her with a lopsided smile.

A long pause. "You have my permission to infiltrate the factory tomorrow night. I want the weapons, plans, anything they have either taken or destroyed. In and out. Do what you have to do."

"Yes, Ma'am." The younger agents said in unison.

The encrypted call clicked off.

"Berlin?" Austin raised an eyebrow at her.

Ally grabbed one of her bags off the ground and zipped it open. "It's nothing."

He watched her pull out her gadgets and inspect them. "It isn't nothing when you can get your SO to change her mind."

"It's a desperate situation, and we have no other choice." Ally dismissed his point, loading one of her new stun guns, IC-7s, with the blue cartridge. The lab techs had updated it just a month ago, and it could knock out a grown person for five hours with an incapacitating shock.

She let herself get distracted by the familiar feel of her gear. The agent was not willing to think about Berlin _at all._

"I'll tell you once we pull this off." She placated.

Austin scrutinized her, and she thought he was going to push further, but he didn't. "Alright. I'm holding you to that."

She met her own gaze on the gleaming surface of one of her knives.

"Sure."

* * *

The next day, despite sleeping as far as possible from each other at night, they _still_ end up tangled together in the morning. The two agents wordlessly agree to not acknowledge it, and pretend as if it never happened. It didn't make it any less awkward, but eventually it was alright. After all, they have an infiltration to execute. They spend the entire day prepping for the infiltration. They look through what information they have, hack into the factory's systems thanks to the advanced bugs, and devise a plan.

They get to the factory when night falls so they gain the cover of darkness. Austin and Ally park their car some distance away from the building, and travel on foot for the rest. They kept themselves hidden in the shadows as they approached the south entrance. Hiding in the shrubbery surrounding the fence, the spies analyzed the situation.

"Twelve guards on rotation for the entrance..." Austin observed. Just like the report had said.

"Think you can handle four while I get the rest?" Ally teased.

Austin looked at her, mock aghast. Then he smirked. "I can handle _all twelve_ , Agent Dawson."

"We'll see about that."

The agents sprung into action, splitting up into two different directions.

Ally silently shot a pair guards in rapid succession with her IC-7. _Two_. They dropped heavily, alerting four other guards near them. They came at her, guns raised, but she got low, tripping the first man. A flick of her wrist sent a electrocuting disk to the fallen guard, rendering him unconscious. _Three._

She stood up to her full height just as the next one charged at her. His gun went flying as she disarmed him expertly. The guard reached for the radio on his chest, but a well aimed kick halted that and caused a resounding _crack_. She heaved his body in front of her just in time to block incoming bullets. She didn't flinch as she felt the body jolt with each shot. _Four.  
_  
The guard was thrown at one of the two guards coming at her. She whipped around in time to grab the midsection of her new opponent, swing her legs up so that they gripped his neck, and use the resulting momentum to send his skull smacking to the ground. _Five.  
_  
The remaining guard who had been stalled with his comrade's body hesitated, but rushed her anyway. She waited until he was an inch away to duck, send blows to his abdomen, and rise to jam an elbow into his face. He recoiled, holding his stomach and clutching his nose. An IC-7 shot made sure he wouldn't be a problem anymore.

 _Six_.

She turned to see Austin exchanging blows with the remaining guards. He fought swiftly with more of an efficiency than grace. His jabs and kicks were not smooth in transition, but powerful enough to deter grown men. There were only two left, with the four others on the ground. Austin fell to the ground to avoid a shot, and kicked a guard _hard_ from where he was. From there he grappled with the fallen guard, but the remaining, standing guard decided to try his luck.

"Nope." Ally breathed. In one fluid motion, she slid out a knife from her thigh holster and embedded it into the guard's hand. He gave a pained cry and dropped the gun aimed at Austin. She shot him, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

 _Seven.  
_  
By now, Austin had finished. He got up, slightly winded but easy grin already in place. "Must be pretty good soap with all this security, huh?"

They made their way to the door. Ally smiled back despite herself. "Alissa and Augustin got free samples. They should know." Then, she smirked triumphantly. "I got seven, by the way."

Instead of being defensive or embarrassed, to her surprise, Austin's grin widened even further. "Yeah, I saw the way you took them down. Where have you been all my life?" His tone was not sarcastic, but light and...genuine?

Logically, she knew it was meant to be a joke. Yet, she couldn't stop the flutters she felt in her stomach at his words. She was glad it was pitch dark outside for it hid yet another blush. "Sitting right behind you in History." She quipped back.

"Yeah, well-" His whole body suddenly went tense, and she found herself shoved behind him without warning. The two of them ducked a shot where their heads had been only seconds before. Austin pulled out his own gun and shot the guard who had miraculously regained consciousness right between the eyes.

His hardened gaze softened again as he looked back. "You good?"

"I'm good." She glanced at his IC-7. Austin was a good shot. Better than her, maybe. And even more surprising, better than most of the older agents she's worked with.

His easygoing demeanor came back. "Well, that was one of yours. So minus one point for you, plus one for me...Six six."

"A tie, then." Ally replied while working on the lock. "For now."

The journey to the central building was a breeze compared to their brawl outside. Like clockwork, they would silently take out their opponents side by side. It was almost creepy how in sync they were. For agents working together for the first time, it felt like they've known each other for years. Austin would be there to finish off a guard while she was preoccupied with another, and she would take care of anyone trying to sneak up on him. Watching each other's backs felt like second nature.

Eventually they infiltrated the central building. A chill went down her spine as the door closed behind them with a reverberating thud. The two agents split into two different directions, to try to find the room they wanted as quickly as possible.

"Found it." Austin said through his earpiece, minutes later. Ally could hear the sounds of bones breaking and shots being fired in the background.

"Coming." She said, breaking into a sprint.

She arrived just in time to help Austin finish them off. When they were done, the two of them took a moment for a breather. She blew a strand of hair that had come out of her neat ponytail out of her face. "Here comes the fun part." She joked dryly.

Several computers that appeared to be linked took up part of the room. Austin plugged in the USB that HQ had given them, and let it do its work. The small piece of tech would store all data, then wipe everything from the systems.

The agents then drifted towards the metal cases on the table in the center of the room. They started opening each of them. It was disappointingly easy with there being no locks, almost as if they never expected people would be able to reach them in the first place.

"Guess bath bombs weren't the only bombs they had, huh?"

Ally rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. " _Ugh_ , you're terrible."

It was what they expected, for the most part. Most of the cases contained guns, special bullets, and bombs. It was the second last case that got them confused. Nestled in the black lining were glass vials full of some golden liquid. It had the consistency of honey and shimmered in the fluorescent lighting.

"This is different." Austin observed. "What do you think it is?"

"No clue," Ally frowned, "but maybe we should be more careful with these." Something was just off about them.

The USB beeped, alerting them that the data transfer was complete. Ally pulled it out and slipped it into her pocket.

Then, alarms started blaring.

"Looks like our time is up." Austin sighed. They had hoped that they would have had more time, but placing a looped video for the security cameras could only do so much. "We're not going to have time to bring all of these out."

Ally sighed. "We're going with the destroy option tonight, then."

They hauled the guards out of the room and further into the hallway. Neither of them wanted unnecessary casualties when the weapons got destroyed. They pushed the weapons into one pile.

While Austin set a generous ten minutes on one of the bombs, Ally paused to pick up a glass vial. Without much thought, she put it into her pocket. There was something, a gut feeling, that made her suspicious of the yellow substance. And since her survival up to this point had depended on that same feeling, she went with it.

"Alright, ten minutes." The other agent set the time on his own watch. "Let's go."

They jogged briskly back to the south entrance, mindful of any guards. They had an uneventful two minutes until they heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind them.

"Can I ever get a day where everything goes smoothly?" Ally grumbled as they started sprinting.

Running faster, Ally noticed too late that guards had come from the side as one of them managed to grab her arm. They yanked her towards them, but she simply let them pull instead of resisting. The guard wasn't expecting compliance, so he tumbled back.

She landed one punch on him before a bright blue blast narrowly missed her, and hit the guard's chest. The guard convulsed and stilled. More shots rang out, and she swiveled to see Austin hitting the guards with that same deadly accuracy.

As soon as she got to her feet, they were running again. The little skirmish set them back a minute or two, so they run even faster. Maybe they should've set it for fifteen…The guards behind them also sound much closer now thanks to the delay.

"You good?" Austin asks breathlessly, feet pounding the floor.

She nodded, too focused on pumping her legs as fast as they can go. She can see the door they had entered through now. They just have to get through that door and get to their car. Even if the guards caught up, they had the advantage of darkness to dispose of them quickly.

There's a rumble, a _shock wave_ , that she feels in her bones. The sheer force of it knocks her to her knees, and her head bounces off the linoleum tiles.

Her hands shoot up to protect herself from oncoming debris, but she finds something solid already in front of her. Her fuzzy mind can't make sense of this, and she feels herself drift towards unconsciousness.

"-awson. Dawson." A hand is holding her head gently, but her head still pounds from the contact.

 _Ugh, my ears are ringing._

Whoever's speaking sounds panicked. " _Ally!_ Please…"

* * *

 **12.20.16.**

 **You guys are awesomeeee. Hope you enjoy this early and pretty long chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Recap: their mission went boom  
_

* * *

She groans as she forces herself to take in her surroundings. She does this driven only by some urgency ingrained in her. _Don't panic. Never panic._ She's lying on her back. She squints through the dust filled air. There's chunks of concrete and brick everywhere.

The person speaking is Austin, who's crouched over her. He must have shielded her during the explosion. His jaw is clenched tight as he assesses her, concern in his gaze. How is he still upright after that?

"Ally?" He says again.

 _There's no pain. No pain.  
_  
She nods jerkily, wincing but feeling more in control now. "We need to go."

 _The explosion shouldn't have been that big._

Austin gets to his feet first, and Ally accepts his extended arm to get up. Her legs unexpectedly give out under her and she staggers forward, but Austin is already there to catch her. His hands are strong and steady as he helps her regain her balance. If she wasn't so out of it, she thinks numbly, she would be flustered.

"Can you walk?" Austin asks.

"Yes." She grits out. "Just stood up too quickly."

The other agent looks reluctant to let her go. His arm is still curled protectively around her. "Your pupils...You have a concussion."

She inspects Austin herself. He has a nasty looking gash on the side of his head. But the debris behind them shifts, and they're reminded of their pursuers.

"I'll manage-let's _go_."

They stumble out of the wrecked building and to their car dazedly.

Austin keeps casting worried glances at her, as if she might collapse at any moment. He drives them back this time, the ride silent and tense.

Once they are a good mile away from the factory, Ally relaxes. Eyelids drooping, she leans her pounding head against the window. She knows she shouldn't sleep but the fatigue is so alluring.

"Hey." Austin says, faint alarm tinging his voice. "Stay with me."

Ally jolts, then nods. "Yeah, I'm here."

The crease between his brows deepens. "Your head needs to get checked out. If you have internal bleeding…"

"I can get treated at HQ, it's okay, this concussion-I can feel it's not too bad this time around."

That does the opposite of calming him down. _This time around? How often does she get concussions?_ "Okay. Let's...get back to the motel, pick up our things, and get you to medical."

Ally shakes her head. "It's the middle of the night, you've gotten no sleep, and it's one hell of a long drive to HQ."

"Nothing some coffee can't fix." He says firmly. "Besides, I can't have my partner dying on me on the first mission."

She's silent for a few moments, then laughs. "At least we started our first mission with a bang."

They make it to HQ just hours after the sun rises in the sky.

Despite the splitting headache, Ally found herself enjoying the conversation that Austin kept going in an attempt to keep her awake.

She still wasn't sure what to make of her fellow agent. Austin was...just as he appeared at school. He was easygoing, cheerful, and constantly joking around. It was a refreshing change to work with another agent who's not only her own age, but seemingly unaffected by the nature of their work.

"Wait, wait-" Austin hurriedly unclips his own seat belt and gets out of the car. He rushes over to her side to open the door and help her get out.

"I have a concussion, I'm not at death's door." Ally says wryly, but lets him do what reassures him anyway.

The two walk towards an expensive looking storefront boasting the finest formal wear since 1938. A bell jingles on the door as they enter, and an associate immediately greets them.

"Welcome to Alistaire's. How may I help you?"

"I've got a booking for a private fitting." Austin replied. "Should be under the name Moon."

The associate eyes them critically, glancing down at her tablet. "This way, please."

"Thank you."

They enter a secluded side room with a large mirror that covers all angles. Some measuring tape and tailoring tools are organized neatly on the wall. The door quietly clicks shut behind them.

Going up to the mirror, they place their hands on it. The seemingly normal glass immediately lights up, scanning their palms.

"Identified: Agent Dawson, Agent Moon. Welcome back." A disembodied voice greets them as the floor beneath them smoothly descends. Glass and metal slides up, encasing them into a new room as they move away from the fitting room.

"Alistaire, can you please tell medical we're coming?" Ally said to the A.I.

The floor stops descending, gears clicking. There's the barest feeling of momentum of the room moving to the left.

"Of course."

Several minutes pass, until the walls slide down again to reveal a large, gleaming silver door. Again, they get their hands scanned. They step through into a stark white hallway, heading for medical.

As soon as they enter, the doctors and nurses promptly usher Ally off to get her head scanned, and Austin to get his lacerations treated.

Once they deemed her concussion minor, needing only rest, a familiar figure entered-footsteps silent.

"Agent Dawson." Talia, her handler, sighed.

Ally snapped to attention. "The weapons are destroyed."

"Yes, I could tell by that explosion." The other woman said dryly.

Ally winced. "Yeah, it was larger than we expected. But other than that, the mission was fine. Here," she took out the USB and the vial of golden substance, "all the intel and this other thing I found in the cases. It just...stood out to me. Gut told me to get it here."

Talia accepted them. "I'll get it to the R&D department. How was working with Agent Moon?"

She blinked, caught off guard. "Good. We're pretty efficient together. Our fighting styles don't clash-we took down the security quickly. He's a good partner...I wouldn't mind working with him again."

Her handler nodded, turning to leave. "Great work-get some rest. You'll be working with him again. I've sent the details to you already."

"You're making me miss math class, Talia!" Ally shouted after her, rolling her eyes.

"You and I both know you can't live without missions!" Talia retorted.

* * *

A couple of days pass.

There were some odd stares and some whispering once she got back to school, but she was fine with it. Only the classmates of the class she fought in knew, but they weren't allowed to share what they saw. So, they only gazed at her in confusion and slight awe.

She doesn't speak to Austin again for a while.

Readjusting to everyday life after a mission always felt weird, but now it was even more so-with him around as a reminder. She got glimpses of him in the hallway and in class, but they didn't talk much.

 _I guess it'll be weird if we suddenly became best friends. Suspicious too, maybe._

He was always surrounded by his own circle of friends, and she was always with her group. They'd exchange quick smiles in greeting if they made eye contact, but that was it. The exchanges didn't go unnoticed by her sharp eyed best friend, however.

"Hey." Trish hissed, leaning over the lunch table. "What's with you and Austin?"

Ally startled. "What? Nothing-nothing's going on."

Trish raised her eyebrows. "Don't play games with me, I see you two making eyes with each other. Spill. I've never seen you two speak a word to each other, but _something's_ clearly happened. Also, you two were absent for a week. _At the same time_."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Ally laughed, her face slightly heating up. "That's crazy."

"Well?" Trish crossed her arms.

Ally pushed her lunch around with her fork. "He messaged me for some help with History." She shrugged. "We've been chatting on and off. _Friendly_." She emphasized.

 _We never posed as a couple or shared a bed, nope.  
_  
"The way he's looking at you right now seems more than friendly." Trish scoffed, looking pointedly behind Ally across the cafeteria.

Ally surreptitiously sneaked a peek using the reflective surface of her phone and found her friend right. Austin wasn't intensely staring at her, but he glanced at her every once in awhile, like his eyes couldn't help but be drawn to her.

When she returned her gaze to Trish, her friend was waggling her brows suggestively.

"He probably has some questions about the History homework."

"Right." Trish dragged the word out. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh no Ally, I forgot something in my locker. I'll be right back!"

Ally squinted suspiciously. "Yeah, I'll come with you-"

"Bye!" Trish took off.

Ally felt a presence behind her and she mentally cursed Trish.

"Hey." Austin sounded hesitant, but his grin was friendly as ever.

"Hey." Ally nodded towards the seat across from her. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to check up on you. I got worried when you didn't show up at class for a couple days, and-" Austin stopped himself. "How's your head?"

"It's better. Bed rest always helps." Her heart needed to stop beating so fast. He was just asking about her health, like a concerned _friend_. "How about you?"

"Great. It was all scrapes, anyway." Austin ran a hand through his hair. "I, uh,...what colour is your dress for Friday night?"

 _Of course he's here to talk about the next mission. It's all professional, Ally, all professional._

"Maroon." Ally responded, dumbfounded.

He nods. "I thought I'd match my tie with your dress. Make our cover more believable. You nervous?"

Talia had given her yet another mission with Austin as a _couple_. This time, instead of two recent graduates on a road trip, they were rich, young heirs going to a fundraising gala. That meant they got to get all dressed up like in a Bond movie.

"As nervous for any other mission, I guess. Hopefully we have no explosions this time."

He chuckled at that. The tension and awkwardness of the situation seemed to dissipate. "Hopefully."

Behind Austin, Trish gave her two thumbs up at the door of the cafeteria. 


End file.
